Verena's eyes widened in disbelief. "Why should I apologize for something I didn't do? Open the door!"

She pounded on it, thumping again and again, feeling suffocated by the overwhelming scent of pollen in the room.

Her skin was already flushed, red rashes spreading across her arms.

"Lanny, you bastard! Let me out! I can't breathe…" Verena screamed, her body slowly going limp.

In the living room, Lanny watched the surveillance feed on the phone, his expression unchanged.

"Why are you so stubborn, Verena?" he asked, taking a deep breath. "If you apologize, Bethany will drop any legal claims. Do you want to go to jail?"

"I didn't hit Bethany… why won't you believe me…" Verena's weak voice drifted out.

Lanny's brows knitted slightly, but he didn't soften.

"You're reckless and headstrong. If I don't let you learn your lesson now, you'll end up in even bigger trouble later."

He thought of all the complaints his mother had about Verena and decided this would be a good opportunity to discipline her.

"You'll come out when you admit your mistake," he said, then went upstairs.

In his study, Lanny worked while glancing at the surveillance every now and then. Verena was still lying on the floor, muttering curses under her breath.

He shook his head in exasperation.

At midnight, after finishing a sudden meeting, he realized he hadn't checked the feed in hours.

Picking up his phone, he saw that Verena had passed out.

Her pale cheeks and neck were covered in dense red rashes…

Lanny's heart twinged sharply.

He rushed downstairs and opened the guest room door. A suffocating floral scent hit him immediately.

"Why… won't you behave?" he sighed, lifting her into his arms and driving swiftly to the hospital.

Verena was rushed into the ER.

An hour later, a doctor emerged.

"The patient went into severe anaphylactic shock from a respiratory allergy. If she had arrived an hour later, she wouldn't have made it."

Lanny stiffened.

He had only meant to give her a small lesson. He hadn't expected it to be this serious.

In the hospital room, Verena remained unconscious.

Lanny tucked the blankets around her and stayed by her side all night.

When dawn broke, he rubbed his temples and went downstairs to get her breakfast.

Passing a VIP ward, he paused..

"Bethany, your cousin didn't do it on purpose. And now he's overseas, so there's no way we can pursue it legally…"

"I deserved to be hit and end up a vegetable?!" Bethany's shouted reply echoed.

Lanny pushed open the door and met her tearful eyes. "So Verena didn't hit you?

The room fell silent for a second. "…I… must have misheard while I was unconscious," Bethany stammered.

Seeing her guilt and helplessness, Lanny nodded. "Rest well."

He decided not to tell Bethany about Verena's allergic shock, or she would only blame herself.

Returning to Verena's room, he saw that she had awakened.

"About last night—"

Smack!

Before he could finish, Verena slapped him hard across the face.

"Get out!" she yelled, grabbing a vase from the bedside and smashing it against his head.

Crash!

Glass shattered.

Blood ran down Lanny's forehead.

He winced at the sharp sting. "Last night was a misunderstanding. As compensation, I canceled my symposium. Everything for the wedding will follow your plan."

Verena scoffed.

How many simps had she tolerated before he got so arrogant?

Rolling her eyes, she said, "Finished? Then get out already."

"I'm leaving for a business trip in a few days. Behave and don't cause trouble."

Lanny, knowing she was still angry, turned and walked out.

The room fell silent.

Verena shivered at the memory of being suffocated by pollen the night before, heart still racing.

She couldn't believe Lanny could be such a brute.

But how did he already know it was a misunderstanding after just one night?

Never mind.

Verena didn't want to think too much.

Over the next few days, she stayed in the hospital, working on her designs with her laptop.

Three days later, a charity gala hosted by a world-renowned jewelry brand was set to showcase the latest works of designers.

"Finally…" Verena exhaled, satisfied with her final designs. She changed clothes and prepared to check out.

Returning to her room, she saw Lanny and Bethany together.

"Lanny, I lied back then when I said I liked Vernon," Bethany said, stepping forward to hug him. "You don't need to marry someone you don't love for me."

Then she tiptoed and pressed a soft kiss on his lips. "Can we be together?"

Lanny fell silent.

His Adam's apple bobbed.

His hand hesitated as if he wanted to push her away, but he didn't.

With a loud bang, Verena kicked the door open.

She sneered at the two of them clinging together. "Couldn't afford a hotel room, so you have to get frisky everywhere in my room?"

Almost instinctively, Lanny stepped in front of Bethany. "Watch your words."

"What? Am I wrong?" Verena scoffed, shoving them toward the door. "Stop disgusting me!"

Bethany stumbled and hit her head on the doorframe.

"Ah!" she screamed, then passed out.

"Verena! Her brain already has a clot. You're trying to kill her?!"

Lanny's voice shook with fear and anger.

He scooped up the unconscious girl, glancing at Verena with utter disappointment. "You really are hopeless."

Verena froze.

Seeing the cold sharpness in Lanny's eyes, the kiss between him and Bethany, her heart slowly cooled.

Once she decided to let go, she realized she wouldn't hurt or mourn over a man anymore.

One man wasn't worth all that pain.

Verena drew a deep breath and packed her laptop into her bag.

Then she froze.

Why was her laptop open to her jewelCAD software?

She was sure she had closed it before leaving the ward.

Did she misremember?

She scratched her head and didn't think too much of it.

Just as she stepped out, her phone rang. It was the wedding planner.

"Miss Johnson, we've canceled the wedding scheduled for five days from now. Would you like to reschedule?"

"No need, " Verena said, ending the call.

From now on, she and Lanny would walk their separate paths. Forget marriage, they weren't even friends anymore.

For several days straight, Lanny stayed at the hospital to take care of Bethany. He never once came home.

Meanwhile, Verena packed up everything she owned, booked a moving truck, and then bought a ticket to Eurendale. She needed a real break, far away from all this mess.

In minutes, her closet was half-empty. All that remained were Lanny's suits, shirts, and neatly arranged ties.

Soon, the night of the charity gala arrived.

The ballroom glittered with gowns, tuxedos, champagne, and perfectly practiced smiles.

Verena hadn't expected to run into Bethany here.

As the event's guest jewelry designer, Verena was seated beside the brand's CEO, a clear sign of status and respect.

Before long, it was time to present the designers' works.

Several jewelry pieces flashed onto the massive screen.

Just as the host was about to introduce them, the entire room stiffened. There were two identical designs.

One was credited to Verena, and the other was Bethany.

"Someone must've uploaded the wrong image."

"But they look identical, even the micro-diamond layout is the same!"

"So who copied who?"

Whispers spread like wildfire, slipping through the crowd in seconds.

After checking backstage, the host returned with an awkward smile. "It appears both designers submitted these themselves. Sometimes creative inspiration overlaps…"

Verena rose from her seat. "That's my design. She copied me."

Her icy gaze locked onto Bethany.

"Miss Johnson, that's an unfair accusation," Bethany retorted calmly. "Before my accident, I won an international award for emerging designers. You say I plagiarized you? Do you have proof?"

"Of course." Verena smiled faintly. "I can produce every 3D draft and revision I've made. Can you?"

She opened her laptop, scrolling through the design software.

But the folder that should have contained dozens of draft files was completely empty.

Verena froze.

Tension crept through the whole ballroom.

"Miss Johnson, still looking?" Bethany scoffed.

She connected her laptop to the big screen. Moments later, her own "drafts" appeared.

She looked at the sketches on the screen, each one refined and reworked countless times, then said, "Inspiration doesn't come easy. You can steal a file, sure… but you can't steal talent."

A wave of shock rippled across the hall.

People glanced at Verena with mixed pity and criticism.

"My inspiration came from my father. When I was little, he won me a toy necklace at a carnival. I've kept it all these years," Bethany continued as she gave Verena a sweet, mocking smile. "Some people who've never known a father's love, I suppose they'll never understand."

Verena clenched her jaw. Bethany had struck precisely where it hurt deliberately.

But Verena never cared about that deadbeat man's affection.

"You claim this is your design?" Verena asked, walked up to the screen, and zoomed in on the 3D model.

Enlarged over and over, the pendant finally revealed two faint letters.

VJ.

"I always embed my initials into my drafts," Verena said coldly. "So tell me, are you Verena Johnson? Or do you admire me so much you put my initials in your 'original' design?"

Bethany was speechless.

Her lips parted slightly as she stared at the giant screen, her mind going completely blank. She couldn't form a single word.

Her silence said everything.

At this moment, the brand's CEO stood up, expression dark. "We are a century-old luxury jewelry house. We respect originality and condemn plagiarism in all forms. Please escort Miss Nash out."

"I—"

Bethany struggled, but security was already walking her out in disgrace.

The gala ended past ten.

In the parking garage, Verena spotted Bethany still there, clearly waiting for her.

"You stole the drafts from my hospital room that day, didn't you?" Verena demanded. "Shameless much?"

"The shameless one is you." Bethany's eyes burned. "You seduced Lanny while I was unconscious. Can't live without a man, is that it? Even a man I didn't want isn't yours to take!"

Verena shrugged. "No interest in Lanny anymore. You can have him."

"Gladly," Bethany said as she stepped closer, voice dropping dangerously. "The hotel staff said the security cameras here are broken. Not fixed yet."

Before Verena could process those words, Bethany splashed something across her.

Gasoline.

In the next heartbeat, Bethany flicked a lighter to Verena's hair.

With a fwoom, flames roared to life, scorching through the dimness of the parking lot.

A searing pain shot down Verena's back, the acrid smell of burning hair filling her nostrils.

She froze for a moment, then frantically yanked off her jacket and ran to the back of the garage, grabbing a fire extinguisher and spraying herself.

"Cough… cough, cough…"

Tears streamed down her face as she extinguished the last sparks clinging to her hair.

Bethany, standing nearby, was completely dumbfounded.

She hadn't expected Verena to react so fast. Just as she was about to run, a sudden force slammed her to the ground.

"You despicable—!"

Verena grabbed Bethany by the throat, slapping her hard. Then another, and another.

Smack! Smack! Smack!

The sharp slaps echoed through the underground garage.

Bethany's face quickly turned red and swollen, a trickle of blood at the corner of her mouth.

"You really thought you could kill me, huh?"

Verena yanked a lock of Bethany's hair and kicked her hard in the stomach.

"Stop!"

A cold male voice cut through sharply.

Lanny strode over, yanking Verena off Bethany and scooping the bloodied girl into his arms.

As he turned to leave, he cast a glance at Verena. "Verena, you better pray she's unharmed. Otherwise, you'll learn exactly what a lesson feels like."

Verena barely reacted, as if he had said nothing.

Her long, black hair had been half-burned, the ends charred and brittle, and her collarbone stung from the burns.

But Lanny didn't notice, his focus solely on Bethany.

Verena struggled to her feet and drove herself to the hospital.

After tending to her injuries, she ran into the furious Kenneth Nash.

Smack!

A sharp slap landed across her cheek.

"Verena! You've gone too far! Bethany is your sister, how could you—"

Lanny, standing just behind, knitted his brows as his eyes landed on Verena's cheek.

The vivid red handprint was impossible to ignore.

He stepped forward beside her. "Mr. Nash, Bethany's condition is stable now. Don't be angry. Verena isn't bad at heart, just impulsive sometimes. I'll take care of her."

"None of your business," Verena raised an eyebrow, turning to Kenneth. "I didn't find out I had a cheating father until I was eight. You never changed my diapers, never spent a cent on me. Why should I recognize you as my father? And my mom only had me, your illegitimate child is no sister of mine."

"You—"

Kenneth's anger flared, but Lanny pressed him down effortlessly.

"That's enough," Lanny's voice held unyielding authority. "No matter how spoiled Verena is, it's not up to you to discipline her."

With that, Lanny forcibly guided Verena away.

At her insistence, he fetched an ice pack for her face, only for her to push it away.

"Go take care of Bethany, don't bother me." She turned to leave.

"I just saw the news, Bethany stole your design. But you shouldn't have gone that far," Lanny said, rubbing his temple. "She didn't do it intentionally. The doctors said the previous brain hematoma affected her nerves, making her prone to impulsive actions. She needs time to recover."

As he spoke, his eyes fell on the bandage at the base of Verena's neck. "How'd you get that?"

"It was Bethany who set me on fire. Do you believe me?" Verena stared into his eyes. "See? You don't believe me at all, yet you're acting all fake and concerned."

"Online public opinion has already condemned Bethany," Lanny said, voice calm but serious. "Don't pursue her further. She caused no real damage."

"'No real damage,' huh?" Verena smirked. "What if I deleted your six months of painstaking research in your SCI journal?"

"You may," Lanny replied firmly. "As long as you drop your pursuit against Bethany, you can delete it."

Verena was momentarily speechless.

She hadn't expected Lanny to concede this much for Bethany.

Verena had seen firsthand how much time and effort Lanny had poured into this paper, which was scheduled for publication next week.

"Fine. Then I won't hold back."

A sly glint lit her eyes.

She wasn't going to be softhearted anymore.

Ever since he locked her in that pollen-filled room and nearly got her killed, her heart had completely shut down.

Lanny reached out, pinching her chin. "Tomorrow is our wedding. I'll try to love you, and I hope you'll stop targeting Bethany."

His words carried a heavy sense of reluctance, as if loving Verena were the most arduous task in the world.

Giving her a fraction of his love to protect Bethany's happiness.

Verena didn't reply.

She had thought she would never feel pain again, but hearing that, her heart twitched involuntarily.

Back home, she opened Lanny's paper, intending to delete it. Then she noticed Bethany's name appearing in the article.

Lanny had named the small celestial object he discovered after Bethany, and included it in the paper.

Something twisted in Verena's chest.

She smiled bitterly to herself, "Lanny, I don't love you anymore. Never again."

The next day, she packed her suitcase and headed to the airport.

As she was about to turn off her phone, a message from her mother appeared, "Vee, are you really done with that physicist? How about giving Vernon a try? He's still single. Maybe you two are meant to be.]

Verena rolled her eyes, typed a single No, and switched off her phone.

Meanwhile, Lanny left the hospital at 7 a.m., heading to the wedding venue. Midway, Kenneth called.

"Bethany heard about today's wedding. She's crying, refusing to eat. Can you come comfort her?"

Lanny glanced at his watch. "Alright."

He turned the car around and drove back to the hospital, while a plane to Eurendale soared through the sky above…